Voices of London Olympics 2012: Why Canada's Garry Hill Got Biggest Announcers' Gig in the World

Throughout the London 2012 games, the atmosphere in the Olympic stadium has been spectacular, however two voices can be heard above all others.

Those are the voices of stadium announcers Geoff Wightman and Garry Hill, although it is Hill's voice that surprised many British fans, due to his strong Canadian accent.

Despite it being an initial surprise to hear his accent announcing for the London Games, Hill is far from a new voice in athletics. He is a legend in track and field announcing, with London beinging his fourth Olympic Games.

Wightman is a well respected Diamond League and Sky TV commentator.

Hill started his career in sports when he got a job as a statistician with Track & Field News in 1970. Over the next three years he worked his way through the ranks to rise to the position of managing editor. He bought the publication with a partner 16 years later.

In an interview with the Canadian Globe and Mail he said: "The announcer is there first and foremost for the spectators. If you are on the infield and you are from Russia, you want to hear English. No matter what country you are from, you want to hear English."

Hill has been a popular presence throughout the games, bringing personality and humour to his role.

He prompted smiles from the crowd when introducing Usain Bolt to collect his gold medal for the 200m in the manner of a boxing announcer. He also praised the Jamaican sprinter for his "Usainity".

He claims that "enunciation" is the most important aspect of announcing and added: "It doesn't matter what language you are speaking, if you are speaking in a garbled fashion."

The pair's commentary has not been praised by all critics, with the Daily Mail reporting an athletics insider claiming "a lot of tense discussions" in the lead up to the decision as to who would announce for the games.

"A north American accent is going to sound very strange in Stratford Olympic Stadium, especially when there are so many British commentators who could do the job," they added.

Some critics have turned their nose up at Hill's frequent calls on the crowd to form Mexican waves, as well as Wightman's perceived bias towards the British athletes.